Aquanut, perhaps you should re-read my initial post. Keep things in context. Let me remind you:
mpedersen wrote:Black Ocellaris clownfish hit...a record high retail price in our local market - $99.99. Today...their price has climbed again to...$119.99, a 20% increase in price in only 11 months.
And to paraphrase, the rest of that I could get a pair online for $101.00 with a 2 week guarantee, or pay $265 for the same without a guarantee from my
LFS.
But perhaps the crux, and something I didn't bother to mention, is that these fish likely come from the same breeders (they're ALL
CB,
WC Black Ocellaris just don't come into the hobbyt). It is highly likely that both retaiilers (one online, one Brick and Mortar) are paying the
same price for those fish. So why is one $35 and the other $120?!
So it's not a question of the supply as you try to frame it, it is 100% a question of
how things are being retailed. Let's be realistic here...is the notion of supporting a
LFS worth paying almost 3 times as much to you? If so, at what point is the "
LFS price premium" no longer worth it? 6 times the price? 8 times? 10 times?
What I saw happening back in August was that in effort to maintain their businesses, local shops are charging a premium for being a local shop. Which is fine, up to a given point - I do understand that there are certainly benefits to shopping locally. However, for me, when I consider the cost of a
CB Black O Pair, shipped to my door at $101, vs. $265 for the exact same thing (oh, and again, 2 week guarantee vs. none), I can't justify paying a $164 premium just to support my local store. To do so would be fiscally irresponsible to my family. Heck, that's my summer electric bill for a month.
Thus my concern for the local shops overall - this example (and other examples I've seen) leads me to worry that especially in these difficult times, LFSs could be pricing themselves right out of existence.
That's not to say that ALL shops behave in this manner...
i.e. currently one of our area
LFS's is bringing in fish like Bellus Angelfish and retailing them for $45 a shot...(a $200-$300 fish at another area shop). $45 - that's like half of the cheapest you'd find online. So clearly, some shops ARE finding ways to lower prices and compete...and seeing $45 Bellus angels only makes me want to set up that
90 gallon in the basement just so I can go out and get a trio!
So again, I am not advocating for or against local shops. I am simply expressing concern that some shops are going to price themselves right out of existence. I don't personally think they can continue to put their heads in the sand, raise their prices to counteract falling sales, and ignore online suppliers...they're going to have to find effective ways to compete.